


Eight-pointed sun

by punkagent



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Character Study, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Explicit Language, Family Drama, Fix-It, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Morally Ambiguous Character, Multi, Out of Character, POV First Person, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:27:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26356444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkagent/pseuds/punkagent
Summary: I'm not Hagoromo Ootsutsuki anymore. This man has died a long time ago. Right now I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Once I promised to establish peace and order on Earth, and I will reach my goal whatever it takes.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama & Uzumaki Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki & Ootsutsuki Momoshiki & Ootsutsuki Urashiki, Naruto Uzumaki & Ootsutsuki Toneri, Ootsutsuki Momoshiki/Ootsutsuki Urashiki, Orochimaru/Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Prologue, Then

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Восьмиконечное солнце](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/680173) by punkagent. 



> Because of the quarantine I was bored, so I decided to translate on english my own fic written in russian. English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes. My english is way too far from being perfect, and if you can correct me, please do it.

**Hagoromo**

The sun was at its zenith. I sighed heavily and bowed my head slightly, hiding my eyes from the bright light.

Hamura and I stood in the courtyard of our house, breathing in hot air, and watched our mother. Just now we returned from another wandering to the villages on the borders and decided to visit her, but she didn’t seem to notice us, only gazed into the distance. However, she knew that we were here – her byakugan wouldn’t let us come unnoticed.

Anxiety raged in my chest, although outwardly I was calm. It has always been with me lately. Just one glance at the Divine Tree, due to its massive size visible far beyond our village, brought me a terrible headache and fear. A premonition of something bad settled inside me, but my brother always told me that it was just a fear of the unknown – there was no one to tell what was hidden in the roots of the Divine Tree. More than once I have thought about going out there, but every time something seemed to keep me here.

I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes.

“Mother looks upon the sky every day. I wonder what she is trying to find over there,” sighed Hamura.

“How can we know when she never tells us anything,” I closed my eyes in frustration. “Nobody knows what lies in the depths of her soul”.

My brother and I exchanged looks.

“Perhaps,” I continued, “she thinks that even we, her sons, aren’t able to understand her.”

In Hamura's gaze I saw agreement with my words. To be honest, I understood my mother partly – it was never easy for me to open my feelings to others either, but at least I tried.

I was about to leave when I suddenly noticed something strange. The hallmark of our family was not only albinism, horns and blue blood, but also white-purple eyes, which had a perfect field of vision. Yes, I couldn't transform them into byakugan like my mother and brother, but it was at least something. Even looking at Hamura, I saw a toad jumping onto a stone in the middle of a small pond a few meters away. I wouldn’t pay attention to it, but it behaved strangely, like it intentionally came here; like me few moments ago, it stared motionlessly on my mother. I could feel strange energy coming from the toad, so dense that I felt it on my skin, but I could tell that Hamura not even noticed it. I would have paid special attention to such an unusual amphibian, but I was distracted by Haori, who was running towards Hamura and me, shouting our names.

“Hagoromo, Hamura, please come with me!” She blurted out.

“What's matter, Haori?” I asked calmly.

“You will see everything by yourself!” she exclaimed, and, grabbing my brother and me by the sleeves of our robes, dragged us along.

We ran to the nearest rice fields. We saw the problem on our way there – a small river that served as one of the sources of water for plantations became shallow.

“If you use all the water on your site, then there will be no water left for the rice paddies downstream!“ shouted Daisuke, good, but very hot-tempered man, shaking Kaito, a rather cute and puny boy. The latter tried to break out of the man's grip, loudly arguing in the process.

“It's not my fault!”

I pulled them apart by placing my hand on Daisuke's shoulder.

“What's happening?” I asked.

“I'll tell you what's going on!” Daisuke was outraged. “This kid wasted all the water!” He gestured at Kaito that sank to the ground with a depressed expression on his face.

“What was I supposed to do?!” he exploded. “My plantation is upstream, I couldn't stop it!”

“But haven't you had enough water until today?” My brother interjected.

“Yes, but suddenly all the water was gone,” Kaito replied nervously.

My brother and I looked at each other.

“Something must have happened to the river upstream,” I said. This conclusion suggested itself – water couldn’t disappear just like that.

“Well, I would go over there and check, but there is a huge bear wandering in the forest, so you need to be careful. Recently, an old woman got hurt because of him,” Daisuke warned us. I chuckled. As if some bear could scare me.

“Okay, we'll go and check,” I said.

“Really? That would be great!” Daisuke smiled broadly.

“Be careful, Hagoromo,” Haori looked at us worriedly, clutching her amulet in her hand.

“Everything will be fine,” I smiled at her. “Okay, Hamura, let's go,” I looked at my brother.

“Yeah, come on,” he nodded.

With a brisk step we rushed up the hill, and rather quickly our village disappeared behind the trees. I sighed with relief – it was not so stifling hot here. I could tell from my brother's lowered shoulders that he also relaxed in the shade of the oak trees under which we walked. I listened attentively to the birdsong, thoughtfully examining the grass under my feet. July had just entered its peak, but for some reason the plants were already beginning to wither. Long time ago I’ve noticed that nature seemed to be dying – now there were not so many animals around, the harvest is getting worse every year...

Probably I should stay in the village a little longer to find the reason why this is happening, because I run away from here at every opportunity. I never thought that I would feel uncomfortable in my own home.

I frowned and shook away unnecessary thoughts. River. Right now I need to think about how to restore the water flow.

“Do you see anything?” I asked Hamura, stopping.

“Give me a moment,” came from behind. In the next instant, I felt a wave of energy flowing through me, and goose bumps ran down my spine. “A stone fell on the river upstream”.

My brother and I flew up on a rock, so as not to waste time climbing. Yes, indeed, a huge boulder blocked the water's path.

“Now it’s clear what happened to the water,” I said, looking upon the giant piece of rock.

“But where did it come from?” said the brother in bewilderment. “The last time we were here, it wasn't there”.

“Well, either it fell from somewhere, or someone put it here,” I said thoughtfully.

“Someone? What do you mean? Except for our mother and you, brother, no one can lift such a big boulder,” Hamura smiled in the way as if I had said something ridiculous.

“I put it here,” I heard from behind. Before I turned around, I already knew who said it – that toad that I saw earlier this day. I didn't see it so much as I felt it. Hamura, confused, began to look around, trying to understand who said this. It seems that this strange energy prevented the byakugan from fully detecting the location of this toad.

“Hey,” it said looking at my brother. “I’m not a midge to you, so that I can’t be noticed, I’m actually a toad,” when my brother did notice it, we both just looked at this orange toad without saying a word. And what can be said?

“Brother,” Hamura began, “am I completely out of my mind, or there is a toad sitting on the stone trying to joke?”

“Then I, apparently, also went crazy,” I responded, looking at our strange interlocutor. It wore an amulet around its neck, on which the word «Oil» was written. What is this anyway?

“Look, you're not crazy, I'm really talking to you, okay? And in general, if you think that my jokes are unfunny, then perhaps you really are a little bit crazy,” the toad crossed its arms over its chest, looking at us with displeasure.

I glanced sideways at my brother as I felt the familiar chakra wave. Hamura looked at the toad, puzzled, and then began to look around.

“No one is around,” he said. “And this is clearly not some sophisticated communication method.”

“You are too distrustful for a human,” said the toad.

“You're pretty arrogant for a toad,” I grinned.

“Hey, listen, we, toads, have lived on this land much longer than you people!” the toad pointed a finger at us. “It’s not my fault that you don’t know about this,” it cocked its head.

Hamura suddenly turned to me, smiling broadly. I knew this look of him very well and smiled back.

“A real talking toad! Do you think people will like it if we catch it and bring it to the village?” He said conspiratorially.

“What are you talking about, you moron?! Do you really think you can catch me?” the toad was indignant.

“You know, you talk too much for a little toad,” I chuckled, turning to it.

Suddenly there was a roar from behind, and I turned around abruptly. A brown bear slowly came out of the bushes towards us. I wasn’t afraid of either him or any other wild beast – the animals either didn’t care for me, or they fawned at me as if I was their mother.

“Oh, here's the bear,” I said calmly, putting my hands on my hips.

The beast growled and, standing on its hind legs, began to advance towards us.

The toad said at once, “Apparently we have guests! Just in time, now I will show you my power!”

I looked back at it over my shoulder, and a second later a tight stream of water swept past me, knocking the bear to the ground. He quickly recovered and, standing back on his paws, rushed into the forest.

I stared at the toad in admiration, while Hamura, apparently, couldn’t believe his eyes.

“I placed this boulder so you will come here so I could meet you,” said the toad. “My name is Gamamaru, and you are Hagoromo and Hamura, right?”

“He called us by our names,” my brother looked at me in confusion.

“You two, follow me!” Gamamaru commanded and jumped to the cliff.

Hamura and I looked at each other and followed him, when suddenly I remembered why we came here at all. Boulder. Exactly.

“I almost forgot,” I said, stopping. Concentrating some chakra in my hand, I directed it to the rock. In the next moment, a pillar of dust, dry earth and crushed stone soared into the air. Wow, this time I managed not to leave a crater after this kind of technique. I shook the dust off myself and went after a new acquaintance, as I watched the water begin to flow down the river again.

When the three of us reached the edge of the cliff, I stopped and looked at the toad.

“And why did you bring us here?” I looked around.

“Do you know what it is?” Gamamaru asked us, pointing to the Divine Tree in the distance.

“Of course,” I replied, glancing at the mountain, and then looking again at my new acquaintance. Pain shot through my head.

“This is the Peak of Demise,” Hamura told him.

“And have you seen what lies on the other side?” Gamamaru turned to us.

“No, never,” I shrugged.

“Mother forbade us to approach this mountain. This is the law that everyone must follow. No one has ever seen what lies on the other side,” added the brother.

“There lies the truth about the Divine Tree,” Gamamaru looked into the distance again.

“The truth about the Divine Tree?” I said slowly. I didn't like where this conversation was going.

“The Divine Tree draws power from these lands. As long as it exists, nature will continue to die here.”

So that's the problem. Now it is clear why our land is getting weaker every year.

“Really? But I thought that the Divine Tree allows our lands to flourish,” Hamura said, puzzled.

“You're wrong,” Gamamaru looked at him. “If you want to know the truth about the Divine Tree, cross this mountain. See you again.” He jumped off the stone he was sitting on and disappeared into the river.

For a while I watched the circles spread across the water, and then turned my gaze to the mountain. The sun was beaming in the back of my head, but I hardly noticed the heat.

“The truth about the Divine Tree,” I said thoughtfully, narrowing my eyes. It would be nice to know it. All these understatednesses definitely don’t bring me calmness.

*****

My brother and I were returning to the village after a two-week absence, when I heard an unfamiliar voice in the distance.

“So Lady Kaguya isn't here?” it seems that it was another wanderer who decided to come to our village.

“How many times do I have to say that she’s not here?” as it turned out, a man unknown to me talked to Hana, an elderly woman who was in charge of the village, if it happened that there was neither our mother, nor me and my brother. Her tone made it clear that she was quite annoyed. “Welcome home, masters Hagoromo and Hamura,” she bowed to us.

“What's going on here?” I asked Hana curiously.

“This man is very persistent,” she said displeasedly. I smiled involuntarily.

“Who are you?” Hamura asked coldly.

“I'm a wandering medicine seller,” the man replied. “I'd like to start my own business here, so I'm here to get permission from Lady Kaguya.

“Where is our mother?” I turned to Hana.

“She said that today she will not be in the village.”

“I see,” I sighed. “So she's gone again. It's been happening quite often lately,” I said thoughtfully, frowning.

“So what should I do?” the merchant scratched his head.

Before I even thought about the question, Hamura immediately began to act. A net of veins appeared on his face, and at the next instant he was already behind the man's back, burning him with a look that did not bode well for the latter. Perhaps I should have intervened, because at such moments my brother could be (and was) rude, but it gave me real pleasure to watch him at such moments. He always looks calm and polite, but here it is...

“And what is it?” he bared his teeth. “Let me look at your medications,” Hamura spat out the last word. Oh, it started... He opened the merchant's bag, starting to dump its contents on the ground.

“Hey, what are you doing with my goods?” The man shouted.

“All of this is nothing more than herbal collections and moldy nuts. And this is a poisonous mushroom,” he showed us a toadstool. “If someone took it inside, they would only get worse. You're just a crook, and far from the best. ”The merchant blushed deeply and stared at the ground. “My mother, my older brother and I live here,” Hamura said smoothly. “We can cure any disease anytime, anywhere, so no one in our village will buy your goods.”

“Are your powers were get from the Divine Tree?” The man suddenly asked, turning to look at my brother.

“Listen, just leave our village, or you'll regret it,” Hamura summed up, ignoring the question.

The merchant didn’t waste time in vain and immediately ran away from us in a state close to hysterics.

I gave Hamura an accusing look and silently walked after the man. He, in spite of his obviously pained back, had already managed to reach the borders of our village. In the distance, I observed his silhouette, which suddenly stopped at the side of the road. Coming closer, I saw that he was looking at the Divine Tree.

By the time I caught up with the merchant, he was obviously already finishing his thought, “If I get even a small twig, I can sell it for a fortune. What a good idea…”

“Forget it,” I said, putting my hand on my hip. It was one of the most reckless and bizarre things I’ve ever heard. “Don't be a fool, don't go to the Divine Tree, otherwise you will die.

The man turned sharply.

“You're... one of...”

“I apologize for what happened. My younger brother can be quite harsh,” I came closer.

“What do you want from me?” he tried to straighten up and immediately hissed in pain.

“Just want to ask a couple of questions.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Are you kidding me?! I'm not going talk to you!” he shook his fist at me.

“Listen, I will heal your back, but in return you will give me an answer to my question,” I put my hand on his lower back, putting my chakra into his body. Apparently, a long time ago he fell, got a crack in the spine and it never healed properly.

When I removed my hand, the man just grinned, “Ha, if everything was so easy, no one would…” he suddenly stopped short. “What? My back no longer hurts...” he said thoughtfully. “Hey, you really healed my back!” he straightened up and with joy began to jump, laughing loudly. I smiled. How many years he suffered from pain to give such a reaction to it absence...?”

“So will you answer me now?” I asked curiously.

“Yes, ask anything!” He turned to me readily.

“You've travelled to many places, haven't you?”

“Oh, yes, that's what I do for living.”

“Have you ever seen what's hidden behind this mountain?” I went to the edge of the cliff and nodded into the distance, at the Divine Tree.

“No, never. But I have seen many other places.”

“And what do people in these places say about my mother?” the merchant visibly hesitated.

“Well, in general...” He began to scratch his head. This was clearly not a good sign.

“Please tell me everything,” I asked him.

“Okay. I have heard rumors about people staging rebellions here and there, mostly due to the Divine Tree Ritual that Lady Kaguya invented. Rumors also claim that in order to pacify the instigators, she annihilated them all. Lately, everyone's been whispering that she's just a tyrant.” My face stretched out.

Tyrant.

“Destroys them all... Now it’s clear where she has gone constantly lately,” I turned to the man. “Leave now and never come back! Believe me, this is for your own good!

“Yes, sir,” he said hastily and ran away.

I followed the merchant with my gaze and then turned to the Divine Tree.

Tyrant.

Now everything fell into the place. Detachment of the mother, these sidelong glances that I received when I was in other lands. Only one thing was still hidden from me – the truth behind Divine Tree Ritual. Mother should return today, so there was no point in going there now; I knew that the truth about the Ritual wouldn’t be nice, and I was perfectly aware that I will not be able to calm myself if at this moment mother would be somewhere nearby. As disgusting as it has to admit it, I will have to wait until she leaves the village again to do her «business».

“Everything is alright in the village, as always,” Hamura, clearly in high spirits, approached from behind. I didn’t answer him.

And what can I say to him? Hamura was always closer to our mother than I; I was the one who constantly questioned everything she did. My mother hasn’t paid attention to my constant questions for a very long time, but my brother's suspicion would obviously have caused her a lot of questions. I cannot endanger him either. I need to figure this out on my own.

“Brother?” Hamura asked warily and caught up with me.

“Oh, yes ...” I drawled, trying to remember what he had said. “It's good that everything is alright,” I smiled tightly.

“Brother, do you still think about what this toad told us?” if only about this...

“Of course not,” I closed my eyes, trying to come up with an excuse, “just...”

Nothing went into my head. I started looking around the village, trying to find something to catch on to, and suddenly noticed a whole procession of people leaving the village.

Gods, not that.

“They will take part in the Divine Tree Ritual,” my brother said meekly, noticing my gaze. Apparently, he already knew.

What he wasn’t aware of was that Haori was among those people. We both noticed her at the same time.

“It can't be,” I breathed. Not her! Why was she chosen?! I ran down the hill.

“Brother, wait for me!” Hamura rushed after me, but I ignored him.

“Haori! Haori!” I shouted, trying to get her attention. Finally, she stopped and turned to us.

“Hagoromo, Hamura,” she greeted us. Her posture, her gaze – everything indicated that she accepted her fate. She didn’t know what exactly was waiting for her, but she understood that clearly nothing good.

“What's the matter?” I blurted out.

“It's time for me to serve to the Divine Tree,” with a habitual gesture she took up in hand her amulet in the form of a red magatama – she always did that when she was nervous.

“You can’t!” I shouted in despair.

“It’s not like I have any choice,” Haori smiled sadly. From my helplessness I wanted to cry. “After all, this ceremony has been around for many years. Hagoromo, Hamura, I am glad to know you, even if it’s wasn’t for very long.” She took the amulet from her neck and hung it on me. “Please don't forget about me.”

“Haori,” I raised my hand to grab her, not let her leave, but she ran away from us, joining the procession again.

I looked after her, feeling only emptiness.

Never. I will never forget you.

She disappeared behind the hill, and I couldn’t bring myself to move. I was holding tears back when I suddenly saw the silhouette of my mother somewhere in the distance. She was walking home, and I ran towards her. Maybe at least this time I will be able to persuade her to stop all this!

Hamura rushed after me, and when we both ran into the courtyard. She was already standing in her usual place and looking into the distance.

“Mother, please stop the Divine Tree Ritual.” My brother and I knelt in front of her, but she didn't even look at us.

“It's impossible,” she answered coldly.

“But mother!” I objected.

“I will not tolerate such requests, even if they come from my own sons!” in a tone that doesn’t tolerate wrangling, she snapped.

I clenched my hands into fists, feeling the anger rise inside. The same thing over and over again. I bit my tongue and looked at my brother. He looked at me worriedly, with a look that asked me to stop this conversation, but I had no desire to stop this.

“Then tell me what happens to those who take part in the Ritual! Why does nobody ever come back?!”

“Just accept that the Ritual is a necessity. At least until others come here,” she said casually.

“Others?” I asked. For the first time, she somehow touched on the fact that there was someone else besides her.

“Don’t burden yourself with this, you are too young to know about this,” she gave me an indifferent look. I glared at her and stifled a growl.

“Hagoromo, Hamura, I have to leave again. Take care of everything here,” she turned away from us and disappeared into the house.

“Yes, mother,” I bowed to her, cursing her inside.

However, now I have a chance to help those who left the village today because of this cursed Ritual. Perhaps if my mother leaves soon, I will be able to catch up with Haori and the others.

The minutes dragged on endlessly. The sun hardly changed its position in the sky, but for me it was as if the hours had passed. I was restlessly paced the house, unable to calm myself. When my mother started to walking away from the village, I proceeded to the second floor, watching her going away. At any moment I was ready to break loose and rush to the Peak of Demise, but I knew that my mother wasn’t far enough from the village, and I still had to wait.

Like my mother, I looked into the distance and waited when Hamura approached me.

“Brother, tell me that you don’t…” he began.

“Yes, I intend to get over this mountain,” I cut him off.

“If mother finds out about this, you’ll be in big trouble,” he warned me. I chuckled inwardly. As if it would stop me.

“I'm ready for it,” I said firmly.

“Okay, brother, then I will go with you,” I wanted to ask him to stay and not bring trouble on myself, but I knew that now it was pointless to argue with him, and he would follow me anyway.

We stood in the shadows for several more endless minutes before jumping over the fence and ran towards the unknown.

I ran at the speed limit, and when I realized that my brother wasn’t keeping up with me, I made him sit on my back and rushed forward more than ever. The world for me seemed to blur into one thing, and the only one clear spot in the field of my vision was the Peak of Demise. It also seemed to me that I wasn’t even breathing.

Right from the moment I rushed to the Divine Tree, to the moment I stopped at the root of a mountain, I had the feeling that I haven’t taken a single breath, as if there was nothing between these two points of time.

Finally I lowered my brother on the ground. Together we flew up to the very top of the mountain, and I looked around. In some ways it reminded me of a crater, and in the center of it grew the Divine Tree. It was way bigger than I imagined. For some reason, I never thought that since it was so huge from afar, it would be gigantic up close. The ground here was dry, cracked, and a poisonous chakra hovered in the air, which made me sick. My head immediately began to ache, as if something were pressing on my skull from the inside. I winced, but didn’t said anything.

“What's going on here?” I asked.

At my words, my brother activated the byakugan and after a couple of seconds exclaimed, “Brother!"

At the same moment he ran downhill.

“Hamura!” I shouted to him and rushed after him.

We didn’t run for long, until saw some kind of rift in the ground. It was a little damp inside and smelled of mold and stagnant water. Looking around, I felt a chill run down my spine. Thousands of cocoons laid on the ground, hung from the roots of the Tree, and they all had the outlines of people. It became difficult to breathe. So, this fate befell all those unfortunate people whom the mother sent there?

So Haori is around here too? Oh Gods! I began to frantically look around, trying to figure out where to start the search, when I suddenly noticed that Hamura was trying to cut one of the cocoons. His dagger was sharply sharpened, but he still couldn’t get through.

“What’s the matter?” in a split second I was next to my brother.

“Brother, open this cocoon!” He looked at me frantically.

I released hundreds of small gusts of wind onto the cocoon, and it shattered into pieces in a matter of moments.

Deep down, I knew perfectly well what Hamura saw inside it; all humans have a unique energy that the owner of the byakugan is able to see and remember. Yet I wasn’t ready for what I saw.

Haori was inside. She was deathly pale, with black circles under her eyes.

“Haori!” a cry escaped from my chest.

I ran up to her, picking her up in my arms.

“Haori!” I called in a trembling voice. “Haori, wake up!”

“Brother,” Hamura got to his feet and turned away, but I managed to see a tear slide down his cheek. “We're late, she's dead.”

I closed my eyes, from which tears started to fell. I was late! If I was quicker, she would have a chance! Everyone who came here today would have a chance!

“So this is the truth behind the Ritual…” Hamura said quietly and brokenly.

I screamed until my voice sat down. I felt the tension in the muscles, right now I wanted to tear my mother apart with my bare hands. Outside, I heard thunderous rumbles – nature itself seemed to echo me. I wanted to destroy this cursed place, wipe it off the face of the Earth! But I needed strength.

Suddenly the name Gamamaru popped up in my head. That's right, Gamamaru! I need to find him! He must tell us everything he knows about our mother, perhaps he will help me defeat her! Once and for all, I will put an end to her tyranny!

I opened my eyes and immediately heard Hamura sigh.

“Brother, your eyes!”

I glanced at him and immediately staggered back, falling onto the ground. World before my eyes started spinning. In addition to my full field of vision, I began to see the world in many flashes of different colors. Here and there a bunch of different energy flows, and all of a unique color.

“Brother, what is it?” Hamura got to me, trying to lift me to my feet. The headache became almost unbearable, but now my eyes also hurt.

“Get me out of here,” I croaked, closing my eyes tightly. My brother grabbed my arm and dragged me along. I could barely move my legs, trying not to lose consciousness. There was a noise in my ears, it was hard to breathe. The wind pushed me furiously on my back, as if helping me not to fall.

As soon as we made our way to the other side of the Peak of Demise, I fell to the ground, clutching my head. Haori's death and blinding pain overlapped each other. Hamura tried to help me by sending healing chakra into my body, and the pain really subsided, but I was still shaking. The seething anger gave up to cold rage.

Mother will answer for everything that she has done. For each one of the lives that she has ruined.

I got up on trembling legs and, in spite of my brother's protests (not that I listened to them), went to where I had last seen Gamamaru. I didn't know how long it was before I got to that river. I just moved forward, not paying any attention to the anything around.

“Come out, Gamamaru!” I ordered to the toad. I knew he was here. I saw him.

He jumped out of the water onto a small rock and looked at me. The silence fell between us and lasted for a sometime. Gamamaru gazed into my eyes, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, and I was definitely not in the mood to speak.

“So, you did it. You crossed the mountain, didn't you?” my brother and I, black as a thundercloud, just nodded. “Follow me,” he said, after jumping into the water, and we followed him.

We didn’t swim for long, and when we surfaced, I forgot for a second about everything that happened this afternoon, amazed at the local beauty.

“Where are we?” Hamura looked around curiously.

“This is the Land of Toads.”

We left the lake, and I removed the water from my brother and me, after that silently following Gamamaru.

He led us among the large stone statues of toads, and I asked him a question that had been arised in my mind from our the first meeting, “What's this strange energy that I feel?”

“Oh, I'm impressed that a human can feel the power here. The feeling that you experience is natural energy, and it’s called the Sage Power. It lets someone like me do something like that.” Gamamaru lifted one of the statues.

“Wow,” my brother breathed. I just raised my eyebrows. Yes, impressive. But that's not why I'm here.

“Come on,” Gamamaru said, noticing my gaze, and led us on.

We came to a dark room with a large pedestal on which an equally huge white ball laid.

“We call it the Memory Stone,” Gamamaru pointed at it.

“Memory Stone?” Hamura asked.

“It contains records of everything that happened on Earth. With the help of it, we can find out what happened in the past,” the ball was covered with a white haze, and events began to flicker inside. “The Divine Tree has been growing here since time immemorial, so long ago that we can’t even say how ancient it is, and where it came from at all. Initially, as Hamura once said, it really made our land prosper, but that was until your mother appeared on Earth about twenty years ago. The first person she met was your father, Emperor Tenji. At that time, your country was in conflict with the Country of Togo over territories. Your father didn’t want war, and it was the desire for peace that united him with your mother. Back then, Kaguya was not yet a threat. But one day, rumors about your parents' relationship reached the Land of Togo. People from there tried to kidnap Kaguya, and she defended herself by killing everyone who attacked her. For the first time your father saw the true powers of your mother, and, in order not to let the war break out, he decided to betray her. It was then that she absorbed the powers of the Divine Tree. It was an attempt to protect not only herself, but also you, her unborn children. Since then, the Divine Tree has been trying to replenish the chakra that your mother took from it, drawing life from both these lands and the living creatures that inhabit it.”

“Where did she come from?” I asked abruptly. “Why is she doing this Ritual, why is she protecting the Tree so much?”

“I don’t know. Most likely, this has something to do with the fact that she came far up in the sky.”

In frustration, I clenched Haori's amulet in my fist. There are more and more questions, but no answers!

“We need to talk to our mother about all of this,” I said firmly.

“But do you think that she will even listen to us?” Hamura said uncertainly.

“Hagoromo, the power your mother possesses is immerse.” Gamamaru crossed his arms over his chest. “I seriously doubt that you will be able to confront her directly, even though you are her son.”

“Well, then you will teach me how to use the Sage Power, Gamamaru.”

“Brother, you aren’t planning to fight with our mother, are you?” Hamura asked me anxiously.

“No, it just in case,” I assured him, although I myself had no doubt that a battle with her was inevitable.

“Hm, you inherited the abilities of both your mother and the Divine Tree. If you master the Sage Power, you will definitely be able to defeat her,” Gamamaru pondered. “But...”

“But what?” I asked coldly.

“Teaching you the Sage Power is quite risky.”

“And why is that?” losing patience, I blurted out.

“There are no guarantees that after gaining such strength you will not become like your mother,” he started pissing me off!

“Gamamaru!” I growled, leaning close to him. “After all of this, you suddenly scared?”

“What are you talking about?” he said hesitantly.

“You contradicting yourself, you know. Why were you looking for a meeting with us then? Admit it, you planned to pit me against my mother and make me fight from the very beginning,” I crossed my arms in irritation. Gamamaru smiled awkwardly.

“You are quite perceptive for a human. You see, I had a revelation,” he began.

“Revelation?” Hamura said, puzzled.

“Yes. Well, a dream, to be exact. Toads rarely dream. But this dream was more like a prophecy. I saw you fighting Kaguya.”

“And how did it end?” Hamura asked.

“I don’t think his prediction went that far, otherwise he wouldn’t be so nervous,” I snorted.

“How can you look into toad’s hearts so deep?” Gamamaru exclaimed. “Who are you anyway?” He whispered to himself.

“Gamamaru!” I snapped.

“Okay, okay!” He mumbled. “I'll teach you. But, keep in mind, this will be a difficult process.”

“I am ready for difficulties, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

“Brother,” Hamura said suddenly. “I have to go back.”

“But why?” what was he has to do in our village anyway?

“I don’t have the same abilities as you. It will take me a long time to learn the Sage Power, and right now we don’t have much time. Besides, if we both disappear from the village, mother will immediately understand everything,” I didn't think about that. “I will cover you, I will tell that you were annoyed by our conversation with mother and left the village again. This will buy you some time, but bear in mind that I won't be able to cover you forever. Try to do everything quickly.” I nodded.

“Take care of yourself, brother,” I hugged him tightly, and then looked after him for a long time, fighting against a nasty feeling of fear for his life.

The training started immediately. As soon as Hamura left, Gamamaru took me to a strange waterfall of liquid, very similar to oil, where he ordered me to sit in the lotus position and close my hands in a certain way.

“So, clear your mind. Feel the energy around you and start pulling it into your body.”

It turned out to be very easy thing to do. I practically didn’t pull the energy into myself, it itself tried to merge with my chakra. It was a very strange feeling – as if I was blind, but suddenly I saw. I heard the heart rhythms of thousands of plants and animals that surrounded me. Even the air or, for example, the earth, seemed to live in a special rhythm.

I felt a strong connection between myself and them, and each of these connections filled me with strength. My heart was aching with the pain of loss, but this new feeling seemed to push me forward, didn’t allowing me to fall into this abyss of anger and sorrow. Thanks to it, I remembered why I am here. Not to take revenge, but to prevent more people from dying. Each of them is dear to me, and I can't allow my mother to dispose of other people's lives for her own purposes. I need to get it over with as soon as possible, I’ve already made the mistake of delaying it to the last.

*****

During the month that I spent here, I was able to perfectly master the Sage Power, which I demonstrated for Gamamaru after mentally destroying a small mountain with one flash of lightning. However, I wasn’t able to fully reveal the potential of my new eyes, because no one knew what they were. Although, I quickly realized that with their help I can predict the actions of living beings, as well as look closely at even the smallest objects – if necessary, my eyes worked like a powerful magnifying glass. These were good skills, but I doubted that they would help me much in the fight against my mother.

But there was something else. With the help of these eyes, it became possible to communicate with animals. The overwhelming majority of them couldn’t speak, but they understood everything perfectly, the problem was only information extraction. I instructed birds and other small animals to keep track of the affairs in our village, and then read their memories. Yes, Gamamaru also did reconnaissance using other toads, but they couldn’t find out everything, because they simply didn’t know where to look. I knew. Apparently, the mother believed Hamura. It was good, because it meant that I still had time to prepare, because I felt that I wasn't ready.

“What do you think,” Gamamaru once told me as I took a breath. “Purely hypothetically, is it possible to resolve this entire conflict without the use of force?”

“No,” I replied instantly.

“Why?” he asked discouraged by my answer. I smiled sadly.

“You know, I'm afraid for Hamura’s life, but I know that our mother will never kill him. She will hate him, she will curse him, and yet he will be safe. At least she will try to harm him using somebody else. She always loved him more than me, although she would deny it if I asked. I always gave her a lot of problems, from childhood I asked uncomfortable questions, didn’t receive an answer to them, and the number of my questions from this only grew. A vicious circle, you know,” I looked at Gamamaru. “From an early age I questioned everything she did. It seems to me that from the very beginning, somewhere in the depths of her soul, she understood that one day I would stand against her. And I knew that too. Such a mood can’t be dispelled by words alone,” I stared at the seals of Yin and Yang on my palms, given to me from birth and helping to create things from only one chakra. “The first thing I learned to create with their help,” I nodded at my hands, palms facing Gamamaru, “was the things that my mother forbade me to have, for various reasons,” I shrugged. “From something potentially dangerous for a child to some trinkets that she considered unacceptable in our house. If you hadn’t decided to declare yourself to us, sooner or later I myself would have gone to the Divine Tree and learned the truth. Who knows how everything would have turned out in this case,” I smiled melancholically.

Gamamaru gave me a thoughtful look and said, “Yes, who knows ...”

We rarely spent time like this, talking.

Usually, for hours, I created mountains and immediately leveled them to the ground, honed my reflexes, tried to invest maximum chakra in my attacks. All the time that I spent on Mount Myoboku seemed to merge into one day that had no end.

After another rock scattered into dust, Gamamaru told me, “You can count on victory now, Hagoromo. Maybe you should rest?”

I shook my head. There is no time for rest. I must always be on the lookout.

Gamamaru sighed and suddenly turned around. I also felt it – another scout toad was returning. Only usually they come in the evening, and now it was barely noon. Something was clearly wrong.

“We can no longer contact Hamura, he seems to have disappeared!” she said worriedly. “Kaguya is in the village, she probably found out about everything!”

This is bad. This is very very bad!

“Apparently the moment of our fight has come,” I said resolutely. It's time to put an end to all this madness.

Gamamaru and I immediately went to the village, where, with the help of other toads, I ordered the villagers to leave. Given the fact that they can't get to safety place in an instant, I has to buy them some time. To be honest, I had no idea how I would do it. I wasn’t pleased by the very thought of seeing my mother again.

When the last carriage disappeared over the horizon, I went to our house. Stopping in front of the steps at the entrance, I looked back at Gamamaru.

“Getting closer is dangerous. You'd better leave and hide somewhere.”

“When a battle starts between you and Kaguya, I have no idea what its scale will be.” Well, I too have no idea. “This is for you,” as parting words, Gamamaru gave me a small piece of paper with a rather complicated print on it - the amount of energy sealed into it was incredible.

“What is it?”

“Do you feel this powerful force?” Gamamaru laughed. “This is a treasure that has been kept on our land for centuries. It’s forbidden to take it outside the Mountain, but now our lives are also under threat. This seal was imbued with the Sage Power. My ancestors sacrificed their lives to create it. Apply it when you will not be able to replenish natural energy on your own. Keep in mind that it can only be used once, and it’s able to heal you, even if you are on the verge of life and death.

“I owe you.” I hid the seal in the inner pocket of my cloak.

“I will pray for you and your brother well-being,” Gamamaru said goodbye to me and disappeared into the bushes.

When I started to walking upstairs, I felt like I was going to my own execution. I saw the powerful mother's chakra, motionless in space, but where was Hamura? He seemed to really disappear.

When my mother and I met eyes, none of us said a word. I got the feeling that she wasn’t going to start this conversation first. Okay, be it your way.

“I came home, mother,” I said, looking her right into the eyes.

“Tell me, Hagoromo, you and your brother broke the law, aren’t you? You crossed the forbidden mountain. It’s pointless to hide it, don’t even think about it. I can read all your thoughts and feelings.”

“Then you have to understand why we are so angry with you, mother,” my mother’s lips spread into a smile that sent goose bumps down my spine.

“Oh, so you loved that girl,” she said, as if mockingly, and I clenched my hands into fists.

“Not only her. I loved every one of those people that you sent to certain death! I also learned about your actions in the past. So that's why you never talked to us about our father! Why did you even do this?!”

“Both of you has no idea how terrible _they_ can be... That's why I needed an army,” They? Army?!

“So all these people are your soldiers? Who did you want to use them against? Who are you, Mom? Where are you from?!

“The place from which I arrived is in the distant depths of space. This is a place where you will never be able to go. One day _they_ will come here to take me back. _They_ know nothing about love, they only know about power.”

“Why should I care about these mysterious «them»?! Mother, since we started talking about this, you once loved too, Hamura and I are living proof of that!”

“But my love directly led me to betrayal,” mother answered me bitterly. “And, apparently, I was again betrayed by those for whom I risked my life, and with whom I shared my power.

“Mother, please!” I shouted in despair, feeling that the conversation had come to a standstill. “Remember the power of this love, stop the Divine Tree Ritual!”

“No,” she rose from her throne.

“Please mother!”

“All this time I have protected and raised you. And it looks like it was all useless. From now on, we will never be on the same side, and if this is so, then I take back the power that I shared with you,” the third eye of my mother opened, and at the same second I felt Hamura's chakra. I saw him jump out from behind her and stepped back. What did mother do to him?! His chakra felt wrong!

Hamura sent me blow after blow, but I only dodged, trying to figure out what I should do now. Fighting Hamura was never my plan.

“Hagoromo,” the mother said again, “if the love you spoke of is real, then you won't be able to kill your brother.”

I wanted to scream from powerlessness. Whatever mother did to Hamura, I couldn’t break her control over him. Apparently, she used the third eye and subdued his mind to herself, just as I interacted with animals.

Suddenly I remembered the seal given to me by Gamamaru. It can heal even fatal wounds. Then…

I looked at Hamura. This decision is one of the most difficult in my life. But there is no other way. Forgive me, brother, for what I am about to do.

I covered my fist with lightning and in split of a second flew up to Hamura, hit him in the chest. This smell ... Oh gods, I will never forget it.

My vision clouded with tears as I watched control over my brother's mind collapsing. Pain shot through my eyes again. I could feel my own chakra pulsing in them, and my vision became even sharper. Most likely, something happened to them again, although why should I care about it?

I laid Hamura down on the ground, trying to hide my hand, smeared with his blood, in sleeve.

“I'm sorry,” he wheezed.

“Don't apologize, mother has been controlling your actions all this time,” I tried to cheer him up.

“I screw up, didn't I?” he tried to smile.

“Stop talking. I will heal your wound,” I pulled the seal from my pocket and applied it to my brother. For a moment I was blinded by a bright green glow, and when it disappeared, Hamura's terrible wound also was gone.

He immediately sat down and, examining himself, uttered perplexedly, “My wound is completely healed. How did you do it, brother?”

“If we survive, thank Gamamaru for that.”

There was a crash from the side, and we turned to the noise. There, hovering over the roof, with a net of veins on her face, our mother looked at us with unreadable eyes. I wonder what she wanted to see with her byakugan?

Suddenly a rumble was heard in the distance. At first I didn't even understand where it was coming from, but when my head was shot through with pain again, I realized with horror that she was doing something with the Divine Tree. And whatever it was, it couldn't end well. I pulled my brother over.

“Hamura, get out of here now!”

“What do you mean?!” he was indignant. “I will not leave you to fight alone!"

“Hamura,” I shook him. “You are defenseless against our mother. She can again use her third eye on you at any time, and then I won't be able to help you, do you understand this? Find Gamamaru and get out of here with him! Someone still needs to warn the inhabitants of neighboring villages, so do this. I can deal with the rest,” I assured my brother. It couldn’t be otherwise. I started all this not to lose.

“But...”

“Leave now!” I shouted.

Hamura looked at me fearfully, then glanced at our mother and nodded.

“Good luck, brother,” he said humbly to me and ran behind the house.

Meanwhile, the earth was shaking. My ears were plugged from the terrible noise. With a sinking heart, I watched how the Divine Tree dried up, and how it turned into a gigantic monster, becoming much larger than its original tree form. The monster cut through the clouds with its tails, and then began to move in my direction. I backed away, trying to think of something that could help me in this situation.

Maybe I can seal it? No, what a nonsense… Its chakra is so great that it’s infinite – no seal will keep it inside.

In the course of thinking, I suddenly realized that the mother wasn't nearby, but I felt her somewhere in the distance, in about the same direction from which this monster was moving towards me. I looked at him in confusion. But how? Is it possible to travel such long distances instantly?

And then I remembered Hamura. One moment he was nowhere, and the next one he was already a couple of steps away. Maybe the third eye gave my mother ability to move herself and others in space? Then everything is even worse than I thought.

And now what I can do? To equalize the forces with this giant, I need to create something no less huge, with strong armor and weapons, in order to have at least some ability to defend and attack. I closed my eyes trying to imagine it.

The rumble intensified, and I knew that I had only a few moments to think of something. Every cell in my body tingled as I began to release all the chakra I had. My eyes only throbbed harder, and I opened them only to see the mouth of the monster in front of me; it formed some strange dark ball, completely consisting of the poisonous chakra that I felt earlier. In the process of creating weapon against this monster, I got so carried away that I completely forgot about this tailed beast, I need get out from here right now!

At the same instant, the monster was thrown back kilometers by a huge blue fist. My head exploded with pain, and I put my hand on my forehead, scratching the skin with my nails. Apparently, if I harm the Tailed Beast, I will feel it on my own skin. How many things I have not calculated!

Squinting in pain, I looked up and saw above me part of a translucent, glowing blue human skeleton. I had not yet realized what would come of it, but at the moment it wasn’t important. I started pouring more and more chakra into this skeleton; it grew in size, acquired a lower half of the body, then armor. Wings appeared behind it, a shield in one hand, and a sword in another. I didn’t know how my mind came to this, but I had no desire to complain. I flew to the top of its head when I suddenly thought that, in theory, I could also strengthen my battle avatar with natural energy. I intensively began to absorb chakra from the outside, transferring it to my creation. White ripples crept across its surface, soon covering it completely.

While the monster regained its balance, I counted ten tails it possessed. Ten-tails, then. It turned to me, and the same ball appeared in its mouth. I shielded myself, and at this instant a beam of powerful pure chakra flew at me. After bouncing off the shield, it cut the mountain on the right and completely burned out the forest on the left. When it was over, I rushed to the Ten-Tails and, swinging my sword upwards, sever its body in two.

My legs buckled and I fell to my knees, gripping the fabric of the turtleneck. Gods, it hurts. As if it sever me in two!

Through involuntary tears, I could see how the halves of Ten-tails torso began to join together. I hadn't even done anything yet, when another ball appeared in the Tailed Beast's mouth. I managed to close it with my palm, and then the poisonous energy was absorbed into my avatar. The right hand now was covered with a strange red-black chakra. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel a parasite in it; it merged with my energy without any problems. Apparently, there was no harm from it, and I didn’t have time to find out why.

While I was distracted by the unusual chakra cover, the Ten-Tails managed to heal its body back and began to drag me away from itself with its tails. I sharply spread my wings and thereby cut off half of their number, and beast let out prolonged growl. I grinned through the throbbing pain.

Determined to test this new chakra cover, I swung my right hand, striking the monster in the head. Its head blew up apart, and I groaned in a strangled way, grabbing at my hair. I need to get this over with as soon as possible! Because of this strange connection with the Tree, I will not be able to fight for long.

I need help! But I can't ask Hamura or anyone else for it, it won't end well for them.

Suddenly, I remembered those connections with nature that I felt every time I began to accumulate natural energy. All five elements had their own special rhythm, as if they were alive, and I could try to appeal to them.

Come on, help me! I appeal to you in my hour of need, fight by my side!

Like the Tailed Beast, my avatar roared, and I felt an unprecedented surge of strength. The turbulence of the air grew larger, turning into hurricanes and merging with the dark storm clouds; lightning covered my avatar, adding a purple glow to my blue; the ocean in huge tidal waves threw water onto the shore, pushing it towards me; the cracks in the earth grew wider, revealing lava deep within.

With a wave of my hand, over and over again, I cut off the monster's tails. The pain was already perceived by me as something natural, and I almost didn’t pay attention to it. The Tailed Beast only had time to restore its head in order to charge me with this strange ball of chakra when I immediately crushed it with huge layers of earth, bringing them upon him from above.

Lava splashed out on its limbs, from which it rushed under me, but I didn’t let him leave, cutting my way to my mother. She was somewhere deep inside it, I could feel her. It only remained to pull her out.

I put all the chakra in the head of my avatar. It opened its mouth and, like the Tailed Beast, began to create a huge ball of chakra. Like a whirlpool, the energy in it swirled from the edges to the center. I poured lightning into it until sparks from it began to reach me. It's time.

I gave the monster one more time to restore its head and put this ball right down its throat. The explosion immediately reached me, piercing and destroying my avatar. I just had time to turn my face away from it when a shock wave hit me in the chest and threw me back. I fell to the ground like a rag doll.

I didn’t feel my body; I practically didn’t see anything because of the black smoke and dust that obscured my vision. It was hard to breathe in such a dirty air, but I couldn’t even crawl from the lowlands to higher terrain. I saw my blood started showing through my burnt cloak. There was a lot of it, and it was everywhere. When it came into contact with the air, it evaporated intensively, and that was good, because it meant that my regeneration was working, and I wouldn’t die from loss of blood. But the steam painfully burned me on the right side; there was so much of it. I turned my head slightly – I couldn't did it wider because of the huge burn – and immediately understood why it hurted this much. The arm below the shoulder was simply missing.

Oh Gods.

I got hurt all the time, but this... I didn't even know if I could recover from this.

And I still couldn't move. I may have broken my back because of the fall. Or it was a side effect of my connection with the Tree. It didn't matter anyway. The fact remained that I was paralyzed.

What now?!

Out of powerlessness, I closed my eyes, trying to overcome the growing panic in my chest.

I can’t give up now, but my head is spinning and I am not even able to concentrate to use Sage Power. Gamamaru and Hamura are hundreds of kilometers away now, no one will help me. Oh Gods.

I don't want to die here. If I fail, my mother will not stop at my death. She will kill everyone to cover her back from these «others».

I can’t die here!

But it looks like I'm will.

My eyes began to sting. Most of the smoke already settled down, revealing the night sky with a scattering of stars on it. Such an awesome view.

I hope that Hamura and Gamamaru still will be able to finish what I started. They just have to. For all who have died and those who have not yet had a chance to see this world.

Suddenly I caught a movement from the side. I turned my head to the right again – this process was now less painful due to the healed skin on the face and neck – and saw a small tree root grew out of the ground. It reached for me until it covered my shoulder. Several more sprouts appeared behind it, and they all covered my wounds until every single blue spot disappeared under the roots of the Tree. Strange, but I didn't feel how they were trying to draw chakra out of me. It was like... they were just here. A pleasant cold emanated from them, in contrast to the sepulchral cold that I felt when my brother and I discovered the truth at the Peak of Demise.

I was looking at them, puzzled, not understanding what they were doing, when suddenly I realized: they weren't here to take chakra, but to give it away.

But why?

As soon as I asked this question in my thoughts, a small burgeon appeared on the very first root, which immediately blossomed into a leaf.

I see.

This world will bloom again, I promise.

And then the mobility began to slowly return to me. I somehow sat up and looked around. Even despite the fact that the explosion obviously threw me a very large distance, I was lying in the crater that was left of it. How big was it...?

I felt that poisonous energy again; it was very hot, almost scalding. I looked at the roots and saw familiar red-black cover of chakra that was spreading from them and was definitely crawling towards my face. My forehead began to burn unbearably, and I gritted my teeth. Roots entwined me from all sides and perceptibly, although painlessly, squeezed me, as if telling me not to move. The center of the forehead seemed to be slowly cut vertically, and an understanding of what was happening came to me.

The chakra cover disappeared, but in the same instant I realized that my vision of the world had changed. Literally.

I created a small ball of water and looked at it. In the reflection, I saw a dull red glow in the center of my forehead and then exactly the same eye that my mother had. I also found out what happened to my eyes again: six concentric circles appeared on the purple eyeballs, similar to those that a third eye had, only they didn't have tomoe. I still didn't fully understand what all this gave me, but, apparently, the time has come to find out.

The roots fell to the ground and I saw that my right arm was in perfect condition. Well, now the mother couldn’t fight with the help of the Divine Tree, because from now on it obeyed me.

I focused on her energy and put the chakra into the third eye, suggesting that it would transfer me to her. And I wasn’t wrong. I appeared right in front of her as she recovered from her wounds. I didn’t see her possessing third eye.

She gave me an angry look and hissed, “How did you manage to take my power away from me?”

“I didn’t take anything away from you, mother, the Tree itself recognized me as a its new owner,” I calmly answered her.

She rushed to me, at the same time stretching out a bone from her hand. I've heard of this technique of hers, but have never seen it in action. I dodged the attack and caught my mother's arm.

Tree, immobilize her.

At my order, the roots burst out of the ground and, forcing her to fall to her knees, nailed her tightly to the ground.

I stood in front of my mother and looked into her face.

How did we even get to this situation?

“Let me go!” she twitched to the sides, trying to get out, but the Tree only wrapped around her more tightly.

Forgive me mother for what I intend to do.

“You will answer for all the lives that you destroyed,” I put my hand on her forehead and focused on her energy.

By letting the chakra into my eyes, I seemed to be able to make mother’s chakra channels tangible to myself. I grabbed onto them, pulling them towards me. A blue glow began to radiate from the mother's body. Reluctantly, it followed my hand, which I bent to my chest. I pulled out the powers of the mother bit by bit, and at one moment the radiance disappeared, and in my hand appeared a small white ball of light, which I immediately moved to another dimension with the help of my third eye.

Now the mother will never be able to get out of her captivity on her own.

“Sorry,” I whispered to her and clapped my hands.

To me that clap sounded like thunder. Pieces of earth formed a sphere around the mother, which began to expand. I added anything to it that I could get hold of – I just transformed the water and air into stones and attached them to this rock. By this time, it was already immense, but I wasn’t going to stop, I just lifted it higher when it threatened to fall to the ground under its own weight.

At one point, I just sent it high into the sky.

When mother told us about other worlds, she said that some of them had the moon, a satellite that orbited the planet. Well, apparently, now the Earth will have its own moon.

In one moment, I felt relieved that it was all over.

In another, it was like Moon fell on my shoulders. Suddenly I realized that now nothing will be the same. I will never be able to look at the sky carefreely again – the burden of guilt will overwhelm me every time I look at my mother's cage, in which I put her by myself.

Tears came to my eyes and I fell to my knees. It was hard to breathe, and I didn’t even try to silence my sobs. I just lay flat on the ground looking at the moon and cried. As if echoing me, it started raining from the sky, washing away the tears from my face.

I heard my brother run up to me, felt him shaking my shoulder, but I didn’t saw him. All I saw was hatred on my mother's face before I imprisoned her in the moon.

*****

Several months have passed since my battle with my mother.

I went on a journey around the world, wishing to atone for the destruction that caused the Earth during the battle. Occasionally I visited my brother, who decided to settle on the moon to watch over our mother. I sent the withered body of the Ten-Tails there, slightly altering it, because with its gigantic size it simply wouldn’t fit on the Moon.

I didn’t yet know what to do with the power that I had taken from my mother. I didn't need it, and it was dangerous to seal it anywhere. However, I was thinking about creating something based on it. What – I didn't know yet.

From what I heard, in the place where I sealed my mother, it still rained continuously, forming a lake in the crater. People saw only good in this – water was always needed.

The world was slowly recovering from that terrible battle, and I hoped that one day my turn would come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The skeleton of this chapter is the rewrited events of 461 and 462 episodes (actually that's the point). I didn't changed the background and took the existing one, because there was no point in reinventing the wheel. 
> 
> According to the canon (I don't separate anime and manga), Hagoromo and Hamura began to fly only after they learned senjutsu, which is very strange, because according to the same canon, all Ootsutsuki have the ability to fly and it's kinda default, but not for these two for some reason. So I corrected it.
> 
> This chapter has some fanon in the form of blue blood, albinism, etc. in the Ootsutsuki clan. The reason is simple - I disliked the approach of Kishimoto and co. to the creation of Ootsutsuki as a unique clan. Horns and emotional instability are not serious. Further in the fic, the topic of Ootsutsuki will be revealed more fully (and my fanon will have a proper explanation).
> 
> In case if someone wondered about work's name: eight-pointed sun is the canon symbol of the Ootsutsuki clan.
> 
> I'm also have twitter where I'm posting my art (but i'm writing tweets in russian soooo): https://twitter.com/punkagent007


	2. Part I, Duality of life

**Minato**

Snake, Boar, Ram, Rabbit, Dog, Rat, Bird, Horse, Snake.

I could clearly hear my own heartbeat. Kushina stared at me in horror, with her gaze begging me to throw that idea away. But I couldn't. I am the Hokage, and it’s my duty to protect Leaf and its villagers at all cost, and if for this I have to sacrifice myself, then I am ready for it. I begged for forgiveness from my newborn son, whom I had doomed to such a terrible fate, but there was simple no other way.

I clapped my hands. With this action, I used almost all the chakra I had, which is why I felt weak, but this feeling immediately faded before the chill that took me at that moment. Goosebumps ran down my spine, and with corner of my eye I saw _Him_.

God of Death.

Even remembering what was happening around, I still couldn’t help but feel awe and fear at the sight of Him. No scroll showed how terrifying and huge He really was. He hovered behind me, examining me with a curious look.

I made it clear to Him what I wanted from Him. I wanted Him to tear the Nine-Tails' soul apart and seal one part inside of me. I hadn't even thought about sealing the whole Nine-Tails in Naruto, since even most of the adults can’t endure such a colossal, almost infinite volume of chakra in their body.

But the God of Death was in no hurry to do what I ordered Him to; He just continued to look at me. I stared at Him blankly. The time went by for seconds, why He hesitated? Is that how it should be?

“Don't worry, you and I have time,” I heard a deep voice from everywhere. “Look around, Minato Namikaze, and see it for yourself.”

Mechanically I looked around and realized that time had simply stopped. Particles of dust hung in the air, Kushina looked at me with horror frozen on her face, and Tailed Beast growled furiously.

Time literally froze.

Was it even possible?

In disbelief, I looked at the God of Death again, trying to comprehend what had happened. He spoke to me and did all of this! But what for? Maybe it happened to everyone who summoned him? Unfortunately, none of them could share their priceless experience, because they died almost immediately after summon.

But this still didn’t cancel the question!

What was this for?

“I have plenty of reasons, mortal,” He told me. Instead of thoughts all I heard was white noise. Reasons? God of Death had reasons? Why God of Death even interfered in people’s business?! “And I will not talk about them with you, for this knowledge will not be useful to you. But I'm offering you a deal.”

“A deal?” I almost wheezed, staring at him.

“Yes, mortal, a deal. In payment for my services, I take with me the soul of the creature that summoned me, but I will make an exception for you. In return, I only ask you to seal the Nine-Tails in your son completely, without tearing its soul apart.”

“What…? But why do you even want it?”

“Oh, mortal, you see, in all of this I have a profit too. Don't worry; your son will survive the sealing of the Tailed Beast.” He clearly tried to reassure me. “Take a closer look at him.”

I looked at Naruto in his sleep and it was like I saw him for the first time. A strange feeling came to me. Feeling like I was looking at someone else.

“He isn’t looking like two of you, is it? White skin, white hair, horns... This boy was born as your son, and yet he isn’t. Do you understand what I'm talking about?” God whispered.

I shook my head negatively. The image of the person He was talking about vaguely floated in my head, but I couldn’t remember their name or title.

“So, you really don't understand?”

“No,” I said quietly.

“What a pity. He was the greatest of your kind, he was able to create life and subdue nature, even created the Moon...” I looked at him in shock. “You studied at Mount Myoboku, you should know about him like no one else...”

I got it. I understood who he was talking about. The Sage of the Six Paths, the founder of shinobi world, literally a God. How could I forget? On Mount Myoboku, memory about him lived on even after almost a millennium since his death.

And he reborn as my son...?

“Sooner or later he will remember his past self, but this will not change his habits or abilities in any way, because he will be himself from the very beginning,” God added.

I looked at my son's serene face. All of this is so absurd! How could this have happened?

“Because I wanted it,” God answered calmly, and I looked at Him in confusion. “I watched many variations of the future, and I considered this one the best for humanity, and not only.”

“And not only?” my mouth was dried.

“Don't think about it, mortal, you still won't understand. Unfortunately, your mind shatters to pieces when you are facing things that you cannot comprehend. So just accept this.”

“I don’t care whom reincarnation he is, he’s still my son!” I snapped, coming out from some strange stupor. “I can't accept all of this, even if it's the will of someone like you!”

“Oh, really?” Suddenly His benevolence was replaced by a bloodthirsty smile. Given His appearance, it looked especially creepy. “You were ready to doom him to a life full of persecution and pain,” He drawled.

I bit my tongue. Yeah, it’s hard to argue about this.

“Listen, mortal,” He softened. “I wish neither you nor your child any harm. Everything will be fine with him.”

I looked at Naruto again.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” I nodded hesitantly, “then I’m agree.”

“You're at your limit, mortal. I'll do the sealing,” He said, tying the Nine-Tails and Naruto in chains. I didn’t see the Eight Trigrams on the stomach of my son, which should have appeared after his contact with the God of Death. The chain just pierced him for a moment and then disappeared, as well as the God of Death and time-stop. I ran up to Naruto, wanting to inspect him, as Kushina asked me in a trembling voice:

“You did it?”

I smiled at her, wanted to tell her about what had happened, to assure her that everything would be fine with us and our son, but a shadow fell on us.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the Nine-Tails. From his furious look, directed at me, I realized that he also understood everything. He roared furiously and rushed towards us. I no longer had the chakra to teleport us out of here; Kushina was also at her limit.

We looked at each other, and I realized that nothing would be fine. We run up from the spot at the same time, shielding our son with our bodies, and I only had time to see how the claw of the Nine-Tails flashed under the light of the Moon before it pierced me and Kushina.

I felt no pain, only sadness.

*****

**Kurama**

I lay exhausted in the icy muddy water, wanting to fall asleep and wake up somewhere in the forest, or even in the desert, but not here!

I tried to go into sleep in order to somehow pass the time, but sleep didn't come to me, only despair. It was like one endless nightmare, time after time, time after time. Sharingan, prison, sharingan, prison...

When I felt freedom, for the first time in many centuries I was truly happy, but I underestimated these people again.

Will it ever end? Are they will use me and shove me to cells for the rest of my life?! Once I trusted in the reincarnation of Indra, who was my brother; once I saw no malicious intent in him, and now I am here, sealed in someone else's mind, without any hope of becoming free again. Why these vile people just can't leave me alone?!

Rage started boiling in me with renewed vigor, and even killing my past jinchuuriki and the Fourth didn't bring me any joy. I had scratched the bars of my new prison, banged my whole body against them, released my chakra out. I was hoping that the seal would give some crack so I could get out of here. But nothing happened.

My new prison was clearly well made so I couldn't break free. How could it be otherwise? People will never allow even the very thought of losing me, their main weapon! They are too greedy for power and dominance over others!

People are all scum, how did my Father even saw something good in them? They only seem to be kind and understanding, but once they get whatever they wanted from you, all their rotten nature comes out. I was their friend exactly until one of the pointless wars, and then their greed took over. But they betrayed not only me, but also the memory of my Father! He risked his life for them, and that's what he got in return! It was something that I just couldn't stand!

None of us could. And now I don't even know what happened to the others. Not that I missed that idiot Shukaku or the asshole Gyuki or the rest, but at least they understood me.

There hasn’t been a day when I didn’t think about Father, or those moments that we spent together. It was the best time of my life. And now I'm rotting in this hell, with these stupid people!

When Madara, that damn traitor, left this cursed village, Mito often said to idiot Hashirama (also traitor): "Don't worry, dear, this is just a series of misfortunes." This phrase pissed me off so much! Be glad, bastards, that you have it like a series, and not one solid endless line!

With all my strength, I hit the bars again. It burned me painfully, and I fell into the water, completely staining my wool in this water. It was disgusting, but I had no strength left. I just wanted to fall into oblivion and get rid of any worries forever. But one infinitely long minute dragged on after another, and I, shaking with cold, remained conscious, appreciating all the charm from those burns that the cage bars had left on me. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed in the real world, since I had lost its passage long time ago.

My only joy was the fact that my new jailer was calm. From previous jinchuuriki, I constantly heard snatches of phrases, felt pain, even if I was sleeping at that time, but this kid was completely quiet. He didn’t cry, and I perceived this silence as the calm before the storm. Soon he will grow up, begin to explore this world, and then I will again lose this blissful peace.

I curled up into a ball, covered myself with tails, to somehow warm up. A shiver again hit my body, but I have already resigned myself to it. Not pinned to a stone or chained, and thanks for that. I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep, listening to the steady heartbeat of my new jailer. Hopefully, when I wake up, he will be old and stupid enough to release me.

Suddenly I realized that something was wrong. The heartbeat was unusual. Not the same as Mito or Kushina had, in general not like any ordinary human had. It was too strong, and the rhythm was strange... Vaguely familiar, I might say.

Interested, I decided to take a closer look at the boy and froze in amazement.

The first thing I could catch was the chakra. It was still quite weak – I could feel it only by concentrating on it, but it was too unique and painfully familiar. Powerful and fierce like a whirlpool or a storm.

I instantly perked up my ears and stood up, my head hitting the ceiling. It can't be!

I wasn’t mistaken?

I can’t be mistaken!

I frantically began examining the child. White skin, white hair and small horns. On the chest, under the line of the collarbones, there are six red magatamas, and on the back there is a seal that held back the Ten-Tails' power centuries ago. But now he had three stripes on each cheek – apparently, when I tried trying to escape from Kushina, I had too much influence on the fetus in the womb.

And yet, this boy, he is just like...

Father.

I growled with delight.

*****

I impatiently thrashed my tails along the bars of the cage. They burned me, but I didn't care. I couldn’t wait for the day when I could drag my Father into his subconscious. Right now he was still too young and wouldn’t understand anything, but the day when I could see my Creator again wasn’t that far off.

I could pass the time in sleep (or at least try – I was too excited to actually sleep), but there was one problem. And it was, who would have doubted, again these stupid people. They simply didn’t want to leave him alone, in all seriousness believing that he is me. They accused my Father of what I have done while being under mind control, moreover, they tried to «finish what the Fourth started»! Stupid idiots!

I was glad that there was someone to watch over him – apparently, in some places I jumped to conclusions. Masked men looked after him from the shadows, someone openly cared for him. One woman even wanted to take him to her family, but the fact that she belonged to these red-eyed demons clearly didn’t inspire confidence in me, although she seemed good. I knew Uchihas too well.

*****

“Why is it so wet here?” babbled a thin childish voice. I sharply opened my eyes, instantly waking up. Gently standing up to my full height, I carefully approached the cage, which increased in size over the years, allowing me to move freely – thanks to the growing body of the jinchuuriki. He stood in front of the cage.

“What are you doing here, child?” I said as calmly as I could, choosing words carefully.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I fell asleep at home and ended up here. So why is it so wet here? And who are you?”

“You have to ask this question to yourself, since we are in your subconscious. As for me…” I thought about how to properly reveal my personality. Yes, this child is the reincarnation of the Father, he should understand me, but this is not the kind of information that can be easily accepted, especially for a five-year-old. “I am the demon that your fellow villagers see in you.”

“Are you the Nine-Tailed Fox?” exclaimed the child, and in his voice I heard... an admiration? “Nice to meet you!”

“Aren't you afraid of me? I attacked your village,” I said, discouraged.

“I’m not afraid of you, because you didn’t attack my village at your will. Once I, well,” he looked away, “heard a conversation of some people in masks and learned that you were under the control of some shinobi,” Gods. I always watched him, falling asleep for only a couple of hours. When did he hear it? “What is your name?”

“Kurama,” I answered slowly.

“And I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Let's be friends!” he went to the cage and held out his hand to me. I carefully put my paw between the bars, and he shook my claw. “Is it possible to make it so that there is not much water here?”

“Of course. This is your mind; you can change its appearance. Imagine this place the way you want to see it.”

He began think about it. Some time passed, and the bars of the cage began to disappear. The ceiling was replaced by a sunset sky, the water turned into tall grass, and the stone floor into soft earth. Only a seal hanging in the air reminded me that this was still my prison. I straightened out and breathed in fresh air. Yes, this will not replace me freedom, but it's such an invaluable gift... Yes, the Father was reborn, but remained the same.

“Thank you, Naruto,” my Father's new name sounded unusual. “No one has ever given me such a gift.”

“But why?!” Naruto exclaimed indignantly. “You don’t deserve all this!” he waved his hand at the space around us. Yes, Father really hasn't changed. His unchanging and fiery faith in humanity has always amazed me, and probably will never cease to amaze me.

“This fate hasn’t spared any of us, Tailed Beasts. Unfortunately, people are too greedy for power...” I said sadly.

“So you're not the only one?” Naruto said in amazement, and after receiving an affirmative nod from me, he opened his mouth in surprise. “But this isn’t fair! You shouldn't live like this.”

“Yes, we shouldn't. But who cares about our opinion?”

“Me!” Naruto said firmly. “I swear I'll free you from here! This seal,” he pointed to a piece of paper hanging in the air, “is it what keeps you here? I can rip it off!”

“Don’t,” I objected, seeing how Father was already determined to rip the piece of paper. “Right now I’m weak, I will be sealed again, and you will most likely die. Besides, I don't want to leave.”

“But why?” he was sincerely surprised. “You're locked up here!”

“Yes, but I like you. And without my help you will not find the others.”

He sighed heavily and lowered his head.

“Don't be upset, there is no point in hurry,” I carefully took him with my paw and, pressing him to me, curled up on the grass into a ball.

His eyes closed and soon he breathed peacefully. I looked with love at the fragile figure of my Creator.

Long ago, he told us that one day one restless blue-eyed boy will unite us, the Tailed Beasts, and change the world. I was ready for anything, but clearly not for the fact that this boy would be my Old Man. And even more so, I never thought that I would enjoy being sealed into the human body.

How bizarre life is sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the thing: in original fic this chapter's name is "Преданный", which, depending on context, can both mean "betrayed by someone" and "loyal to someone". Kurama, betrayed by people he once helped and served, Kurama, loyal to his creator and, well, father.


End file.
